[RCortex]

It's not a matter of abnormal vs normal, it's a matter of dysfunctional versus functional in various situations. It's also a matter of the brain itself inhibiting healthy functioning of the entire body (in the case of depression and similar illnesses) The mind is the body, most especially the brain.

[wu-ikkyu]

What if the situation/environment the person is in is disfunctional? Wouldn't a "functional" mind within a "dysfunctional" environment purposefully "inhibit healthy functioning of the entire body" as a warning sign that a new environment is needed?

[mcguire]

No. No matter what the state of the environment, a mental illness is not going to improve the situation, if only because it limits the ability to change the environment. In fact, that is the definition of mental illness: it causes problems in dealing with life.

A "healthy" mind in a dysfunctional environment can produce physical symptoms that mimic mental illness---anxiety for example---which makes diagnosis difficult, and is the root of the difference between the blues and clinical depression.

[wu-ikkyu]

>A "healthy" mind in a dysfunctional environment can produce physical symptoms that mimic mental illness

Im not sure I understand. When you say "mimic mental illness", are you saying that environmental factors cannot cause a "healthy" mind to get a "real" mental illness?

[mcguire]

I have no solid data on that and I am not a mental health practitioner in any sense.

But to my mind, no. The problems of a healthy mind in an unhealthy environment are easy to solve: change the environment and the problem goes away. On the other hand, problems such as my depression get only temporary relief from changing the environment; the only long term relief has been drug treatment.